Even without shooting it works!
Outbound, one of the most anticipated indie games, is breaking all records in desirability.
Dutch studio Square Glade Games' Outbound is an open-source "cozy" simulation title that achieved tremendous market response even before its official release. With more than one million wishlist users on the Steam platform and more than 48,000 followers on the store page, the project has become one of the most anticipated indie games of 2026. The studio raised 265,000 euros from more than 5,000 backers through a Kickstarter campaign in September 2024, with the initial goal of 30,000 euros reached in two hours. The game is currently in closed beta, following an alpha release in April 2025, and reportedly runs without technical issues on Windows, Linux (via Proton), and Steam Deck platforms.
Outbound is a game in which the player controls an electric motorhome alone or in cooperation with up to three other users. The main objective is to collect resources, build tools and expand the mobile home using the blueprints obtained from the scattered radio towers. The game system is based on material recycling, energy self-sufficiency (biofuel, solar panels, wind turbines) and modular construction, where the player creates his own living unit with a workshop and a garden. The game does not include enemies or dangers, instead encouraging slow exploration, gathering food and upgrading equipment. The limitation of the carrying capacity of the backpack and the need to sleep for regeneration add minimal survival elements.
The beta's biggest upgrades include a new coastal area with redwood forests and beaches, expanded journal content, and an interactive canine companion to help with exploration and item transport. Some terminals now require additional items to unlock blueprints, increasing the complexity of exploration. Aesthetic and collectible components such as garden gnomes complete the experience with smaller interactive objectives.
The game is technically stable, translations into some languages are reportedly quite far along, and the final 1.0 release for Windows and macOS is scheduled for Q2 2026. Outbound is designed as a relaxing simulation of sustainable travel, based on the mechanics of gathering resources, energy optimization and gradually upgrading your own vehicle, without competitive or time pressures. The result is a slow but technically precisely designed environment that combines research, construction and independent energy planning within the framework of a realistically limited nature conservation area.
The price of the game is not yet known.
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